We’ve written extensively about security concerns in recent weeks, but this might be the most shocking development yet. Reddit user FallenMyst posted on Tuesday that he had recently started a new job with a company called Walk N’Talk Technologies.

At his job, he is asked to listen back to seemingly random bits of audio and provides feedback on how they match with the text that the device outputs when translating the audio ‚ and you won’t believe where the audio comes from. More →

Unless you’re the sort of person who keeps a lost iPhone you found in a bar — that’s still called stealing, by the way, and you might not get away with it — you can definitely try to return the device to the rightful owner with the Find My iPhone functionality. The process is quite easy, and you don’t even have to unlock the phone to do it, as Siri can provide a more than helpful hand. More →

Back in October, researchers from the University of Utah released findings which showed smartphone personal assistants weren’t much safer than texting while driving. They found hands-free technology to be distracting and overly-complex, harping on Siri specifically as one of the least intuitive methods of interacting with technology through voice commands. More →

Microsoft might not be able to compete with Apple when it comes to smartphone sales, but that isn’t stopping the PC giant from repeatedly claiming that its personal assistant is superior to Siri. In the latest commercial from Microsoft, Cortana and Siri have yet another conversation.

This time around, Cortana is curious to find out how Siri has changed since moving over to the iPhone 6 Plus. As expected, Siri’s answers are less than satisfying.

The three main mobile operating systems all have their respective voice-based virtual assistants to help users with various tasks during the day. Apple’s Siri, Google’s Google Now and Microsoft’s Cortana have been compared in many tests since the latter was unveiled earlier this year, with most of them suggesting that all three assistants generally perform well, with Google Now having certain advantages when it comes to the things it can offer users, and Cortana being able to keep up with its older rivals. More →

Siri, Google Now and Cortana are the three main voice-based virtual assistants available on competing mobile operating system from Apple, Google and Microsoft, respectively. While there’s fierce competition between them as each company tries to improve its own assistant solution and beat the others, there’s one way these advanced apps can help without necessarily having to be extremely accurate and fast.

For at least one autistic boy, Siri has become a best friend and a virtual companion that has all the time in the world to patiently answer all his queries, one way or another. More →

Depending on the type of smartphone or tablet you own, the chances are you’ll stick to one voice assistant app for answering your questions. If you have an Android, you’ll use Google Now. If you have an iPhone, you’ll use Siri. And if you have a Windows Phone, you’ll use the recently released Cortana. They’re all programmed to answer your questions as quickly and helpfully as possible, but which one of them is the best?

Apple has continued to improve its voice-based iOS virtual assistant since launching it a few years ago, but Siri still isn’t perfect and might cause some unexpected headaches. In fact, a recent study from AAA and the University of Utah found that Siri and similar hands-free voice-activated assistants can distract drivers rather than help them while on the road. And Jimmy Kimmel did not miss that opportunity to make fun of Apple’s Siri during Tuesday night’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” show. More →

It has been widely accepted that hands-free voice commands are the safest way to interact with a cell phone while driving, and understandably so, but new research reveals that we might have been a bit too hopeful about our virtual assistants. According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, hands-free technology is so complex and inaccurate that it can actually be mentally distracting enough to be considered a threat to driver safety.

If you’ve ever tried using Siri but have been frustrated by its accuracy, you should try giving it a new chance after installing iOS 8. In fact, according to one longtime iPhone user who has a motor speech disorder called dysarthria, Siri has improved so much with iOS 8 that he’s able to effectively use it for the first time ever. More →

Microsoft is back at making fun of Apple products in a new TV ad that stars Apple’s Siri and Microsoft’s Cortana, the two voice-activated virtual assistants available on iOS and Windows Phone, respectively. In the new commercial, Microsoft is actually using the verbal duel between the two assistants to promote the HTC One (M8) for Windows – a recently released high-end handset – by comparing it to Apple’s existing flagship handset, the iPhone 5s. More →

All three major mobile operating systems now have a virtual assistant, but there still isn’t a final verdict on which is the best. In fact, with such frequent updates, it might be impossible to ever declare a winner, but that doesn’t mean we can’t constantly compare the three anyway. Earlier this year, WPCentral posed the same questions to all three assistants at once in order to see which was more effective. More →